Content system and associated methods

ABSTRACT

A method and system are disclosed for providing data files to a community of users. The data files relate to a plurality of courses. Each user is associated with one or more of the courses. The system includes client devices operated by the users and a server system in communication with the client devices over a network. The server system provides to the client devices access to data files relating to courses with which the users are associated. The server system also includes a content system for storing content items from users. The content items in the content system are selectable by users for inclusion in one or more of the plurality of data files.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is based on and claims priority from U.S.provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/495,694 filed on Aug. 15,2003 and entitled “CONTENT SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED METHODS,” which isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The presentapplication is also based on and claims priority from U.S. provisionalpatent application Ser. No. 60/600,199 filed on Aug. 10, 2004 andentitled “CONTENT SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED METHODS,” which is alsoincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present application relates generally to networks for exchanginginformation among persons in a community and, more particularly, tonetworks for exchanging information between instructors and students inan educational setting.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In educational settings, electronic networks are often used forexchanging information between instructors and students. Instructors caninteract with one or more students by transmitting course lectures,literature, and other course materials, receiving student questions andinput, and conducting participatory class discussions and examinationsover networks such as local area networks and the Internet.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention, a methodand system are disclosed for providing data files to a community ofusers. The data files relate to a plurality of courses. Each user isassociated with one or more of the courses. The system includes clientdevices operated by the users and a server system in communication withthe client devices over a network. The server system provides to theclient devices access to data files relating to courses with which theusers are associated. The server system also includes a content systemfor storing content items from users. The content items in the contentsystem are selectable by users for inclusion in one or more of theplurality of data files.

These and other features will become readily apparent from the followingdetailed description wherein embodiments of the invention are shown anddescribed by way of illustration. As will be realized, the invention iscapable of other and different embodiments and its several details maybe capable of modifications in various respects, all without departingfrom the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to beregarded as illustrative in nature and not in a restrictive or limitingsense with the scope of the application being indicated in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating implementation of a contentsystem in a network in accordance with one or more embodiments of theinvention;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary screenshot of a university portal from which thecontent system can be accessed;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary screenshot illustrating the addition of contentto a course in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary screenshot illustrating searching for contentitems in the content system in accordance with one or more embodimentsof the invention;

FIG. 5 is an exemplary screenshot of a workflow page for transferringcontent in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 6 is an exemplary screenshot of a page for managing workflowactivities in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 7 is an exemplary screenshot illustrating permission management inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 8 is an exemplary screenshot of a directory listing in accordancewith one or more embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 9 is an exemplary screenshot illustrating the addition of a contentitem in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 10 is an exemplary screenshot illustrating the setting ofproperties for added content in accordance with one or more embodimentsof the invention;

FIG. 11 is an exemplary screenshot illustrating management of versionsof a document or file in accordance with one or more embodiments of theinvention;

FIG. 12 is an exemplary screenshot illustrating file tracking inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 13 is an exemplary screenshot of a student portfolio;

FIG. 14 is an exemplary screenshot of a portfolio of a faculty member;

FIG. 15 is an exemplary screenshot illustrating addition of contentitems on reserve in accordance with one or more embodiments of theinvention;

FIG. 16 is an exemplary screenshot of an instructor home page;

FIG. 17 is an exemplary screenshot illustrating searching for a contentitem in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 18 is an exemplary screenshot illustrating searching for a contentitem in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 19 is an exemplary screenshot illustrating addition of a link to acontent item;

FIG. 20 is an exemplary screenshot illustrating a user home page;

FIG. 21 is an exemplary screenshot illustrating link verification inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the invention; and

FIG. 22 is an exemplary screenshot illustrating link repair inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is generally directed to a content system for usein the exchange of information by a community of persons over anelectronic network such as, e.g., a local area network (LAN), a widearea network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), intranets, theInternet and/or the World Wide Web. The users of the content system canbe persons associated with an organization such as, e.g., students andfaculty at a college or employees of a corporate organization or otherbusiness. The content system is particularly suited for use in auniversity or college campus environment as illustrated in some of theexamples described herein. It should, however, be understood thatcontent systems in accordance with various embodiments of the inventioncan be implemented in various other organization and community settings,including, e.g., in other educational organizations such as K-12schools, corporate and other business entities, and governmentalinstitutions.

As described below, in an educational setting, the content system inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the invention can allowfaculty, instructors, and students and others to share and re-usecontent objects, search and discover content objects, manage contentmore effectively through versioning and locking, combine contenttogether to form powerful standards-based learning objects, createportfolios, integrate library content, and be used as a workflow tool.

A content system in accordance with one or more embodiments of theinvention can be part of an educational system such as, e.g., thatdescribed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/608,208 entitled“Internet-Based Education Support System And Methods,” which isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

As shown in FIG. 1, a content system 10 in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the invention can be integrated in an educational network12 and can interact with other components of the network, including aportal system 14, a transaction system 16, and a learning system 18,provided, e.g., by Washington, D.C.-based Blackboard, Inc.

The learning system 18 can provide course management, course content,communication capabilities, tools such as digital drop boxes, andcalendars.

The portal system 14 can offer community portal environment thatsubstantially unifies academics, commerce, communities, andadministrative services online through one integrated interface. FIG. 2is an exemplary screenshot of a university portal from which a studentcan access the educational network, including the content system, andother resources.

The transaction system 16 can provide operation of studentidentification, dining services, bookstore sales, campus commerce suchas vending, laundry and copying, building access, as well as businesswith off-campus merchants. One example of a transaction system isdisclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/373,924 entitled“Method and System for Conducting Online Transactions,” which isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

In accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention, the contentsystem can be integrated with one or more of such learning, portal andtransactional systems using a common user interface 20 and sharedauthentication. Content within the content system can be generallyseamlessly linked to the learning and portal systems, thereby enabling,e.g., reuse of content, tracking of content, and discrete accesscontrol. In addition, role integration can be provided whereby userroles (e.g., students, faculty, and administrators) within the learningsystem and the portal system are reflected and honored by the contentsystem.

In accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention, the contentsystem 10, portal system 14, transaction system 16, and learning system18 can be implemented in a server system that communicates with aplurality of terminals or client devices operated by system users(typically, students, faculty, and administrators) over a network.

The client terminal devices operated by users are typically personalcomputers such as, e.g., Pentium-based desktop or notebook computersrunning a Windows operating system. Various other client terminaldevices can also be used to communicate with the content systemincluding, e.g., personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones andother wired or wireless electronic devices. As is well known, arepresentative personal computer includes a computer processing unit,memory, a keyboard, a pointing device such as a mouse or a touchpad, anda display unit. The screen of the display unit is used to present agraphical user interface (GUI) for the user. The GUI is supported by theoperating system and allows the user to use a point and click method ofinput, e.g., by moving the mouse pointer on the display screen to anicon representing a data object at a particular location on the screenand pressing on the mouse buttons to perform a user command orselection. Also, one or more “windows” may be opened up on the screenindependently or concurrently as desired. The client terminals typicallyinclude browsers, which are known software tools used to access Webservers. Representative browsers for personal computers include, amongothers, Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer.

The network can comprise a computer network such as, e.g., the Internet(particularly the World Wide Web), Intranets, LANs, WANs, MANs, or othernetworks, or some combination thereof.

As will be described in further detail, content systems in accordancewith one or more embodiments of the invention can provide many benefitsto users 22 of the system (e.g., students, faculty, and administrators),which can include one or more of the following.

Briefly, for instructors, the content system can provide a central placefor storing course materials for reuse in multiple courses. It can beused by instructors to easily move content for various uses, e.g., formoving content across folders and content areas. The content system canprovide simplified access to content via Web and WebDAV interfaces. Itcan also provide flexible access control. The content system can allowinstructors to easily share course materials with other instructors. Inaddition, it can be used for locating materials for reuse. The contentsystem can also be used for storing and sharing and searching forresearch and articles. In addition, the content system can allowinstructors to create and share career portfolios. The content systemcan also be used as an online space for making research available to thepublic. The content system can, in addition, provide a secure encryptedmethod of sharing content.

For students, the content system can be used as personal disk space. Itcan be used as a storage for materials including homework, assignments,and research. The content system can be used to create and displayportfolios for showing work and selected personal information to othersinside and outside the institution. The content system can also be usedfor storing and sharing materials for group projects. It can also beused for storing and sharing of materials for student organizations. Thecontent system can be used as an Internet based personal disk space,accessible anytime and anywhere. In addition, the content system can beused for submitting workflows for assignments and homework. The contentsystem can also provide a secure encrypted method of sharing content.

For librarians, the content system can be used for storing electronictexts and research. E-reserves, copyright cleared course materials canbe made available using the content system to users enrolled in specificclasses. The content system can be used to make supplementary coursematerials available to instructors, organized by discipline, department,or course category. The content system can also provide content labelingand categorization. It can also be used to control who can use contentand for what duration.

For IT administrators, the content system can provide a common structurefor content storage rather than supporting multiple departmental andother inconsistent “local” storage systems. The content system canintegrate with learning and portal systems. In addition, the contentsystem can provide a common infrastructure for all courses,organizations, users, groups, etc., yet allow local customization ofdirectory structures, sharing, naming conventions, with a good balancebetween overarching consistency and personal control. The content systemcan be used for reporting to track the who, when, and where of contentstorage in order to plan for growth and identify excessive use. Thecontent system can control use and necessary expansion of a storagesystem through robust quota management. It can be used to controlnetwork use and for necessary expansion through robust bandwidthmanagement. The content system can securely transfer sensitive data. Itcan be used for efficient file storage, and for scalable contentmanagement.

For a copyright officer, the content system can provide context forappropriate fair use practices, by controlling who has access to whatcontent during a specific time period. The content system can also beused to assist institutions in complying with the TEACH Act by providinga framework for making materials available only to users who areenrolled in a course and only for the duration of the course. Thecontent system can also be used to control access to materialscopyrighted by the institution and its faculty and staff.

For the public affairs office of an institution, the content system canbe used to provide a common repository of standard institutional images,logos, document templates, etc. for consistent use of the institutionalidentity. The content system can also be used to control who has accessto standard institutional images, logos, etc. In addition, the contentsystem can be used to update master copies of images, logos, etc. ratherthan tracking down copies of the original that may be scatteredthroughout the institution.

In accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention, the contentsystem is integrated in an educational system that is readily adaptableto accommodate multiple languages. Such multi-language capability isadvantageous for organizations having diverse user populations. Anexample of an education system with multi-language capability isdescribed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/443,149 entitled“Internet-Based Education Support System And Method With Multi-LanguageCapability,” which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

In accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention, the contentsystem allows sharing, searching for and reusing content assets. Contentcan, e.g., be shared across courses, departments, users, andorganizations. For example, in the past, a course instructor teachingmultiple sections of a course would have to manage the course contentfor each section separately, which is time consuming and can createversioning problems with duplicated files. Using the content system, theinstructor can efficiently manage the course content (e.g., make contentchanges, additions or deletions) at one source location (e.g., at acontent repository) and link the content to separate course files foreach of the sections. Accordingly, content items can be efficientlyreused. FIG. 3 is an exemplary screenshot illustrating how content canbe added to a course (i.e., a set of materials accessible to studentsenrolled in a given course).

The content system can also allow content to be searched, e.g., bymetadata and/or full text searching as illustrated in the exemplaryscreenshot of FIG. 4.

In addition, the content system can manage file versioning, monitorcheckin/checkout, and be used as a workflow tool. Workflow refers to theprocess by which content items are transferred from one user to othersfor their actions. FIG. 5 is an exemplary screenshot of a workflow pagefor transferring content. FIG. 6 is an exemplary screenshot of a pagefor managing workflow activities.

As discussed in greater detail below, a content system in accordancewith one or more embodiments of the invention can include (1) a virtualhard drive system, (2) a portfolio system, (3) a library contentintegration system, (4) an object catalog, and (5) a link checker.

Virtual Hard Drive

In accordance with one or more further embodiments of the invention, thecontent system can also include a virtual hard drive system, whichserves as a content repository for storing content, managing accesscontrol to the content, and providing scalable and robust features foreffectively managing content in an easy-to-use fashion. The virtual harddrive system is an Internet based secure file storage space for users.Users can access, browse, and share files via a Web user interfaceand/or WebDAV (Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning). WebDAV is aset of extensions to the HTTP protocol that allows users tocollaboratively edit and manage files on remote Web servers. WebDAV canbe an alternative to the Web user interface for managing files,including drag and drop functionality.

The virtual hard drive system can organize content into collections(such as individual collections, course collections, organizationcollections, and institutional collections). The collections act asdistinct repositories of content that can be organized by creatingfolders. Access to collections or content can be controlled bypermissions. Permissions can include read, write, delete, and manage,and can be set by individual users or user lists, which are collectionsof users. FIG. 7 is an exemplary screenshot illustrating permissionmanagement.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary screenshot of a directory listing in the contentsystem for a user. Content can be in public or private files. The usercan expand folders to display subfolders and lists. Users can storefiles, organize files (using folders), and share files from their “MyContent” area. FIG. 9 is an exemplary screenshot illustrating how acontent item can be added to My Content. FIG. 10 is a screenshotillustrating how properties can be set for added content.

In accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention, differentstorage quotas and bandwidth control can be provided for differentgroups of users. For instance, students can be provided 20 MB of storagespace and faculty can be provided 40 MB of storage space. Disk quotasand bandwidth controls can also be based on individual directories,e.g., a course directory. The virtual hard drive system can enforce diskquotas and bandwidth controls set by administrators.

The virtual hard drive system preferably allows versioning of storedcontent, which enables multiple versions of a single document or file tobe stored and a history of changes viewed. FIG. 11 is an exemplaryscreenshot illustrating management of versions of a document or file.

Files in the content system can preferably be tracked to monitor whichuser took what action (e.g., read, copied) with respect to the file.FIG. 12 is an exemplary screenshot illustrating tracking.

Portfolio System

In accordance with one or more further embodiments of the invention, thecontent system can include a portfolio system, which allows users suchas students and faculty to create online portfolios. A portfolio is acompilation of materials a user can make available to others via a Webpage, typically for specific purposes such as, e.g., a job search. Theuser can give a particular portfolio a specific name (e.g., “My Resume”or “My Stuff”). Portfolios can include personal portfolios (used, e.g.,in a job search or graduate school application), course portfolios(e.g., a compilation of work submitted by a student to an instructor atthe end of a term), portfolios of student work submitted by instructorsto administration, and collaborative and other portfolios.

The system allows users to create multiple portfolios based on intendedaudiences. For example, a student can create one portfolio for potentialemployers and another portfolio for use in graduate school applications.Student portfolios can include, e.g., material describing courses taken,projects, and work experiences. FIG. 13 is an example screenshot of astudent portfolio. Faculty portfolios can include, published papers anddescriptions of research. FIG. 14 is an example screenshot of anportfolio of a faculty member.

The portfolios can be shared with users both inside and outside of theinstitution. Access to the portfolios can be restricted, e.g., for aspecific number of views or for a specific length of time.

The portfolios can be created without the need for knowledge of HTML useusing a “Wizard” style creation and selection of portfolio content.Users are provided with templated layouts that can be easily filled withdesired content.

Library Content Integration System

In accordance with one or more further embodiments of the invention, thecontent system can include the ability to integrate library content orresources into courses. This allows librarians to manage library relatedcontent in course files. For example, a librarian can place content intofolders of a particular course, e.g., copyright cleared materials thatare on reserve for students enrolled in that course. FIG. 15 is anexemplary screenshot illustrating addition of content items on reserve.Preferably, the librarian cannot make changes to other areas of thecourse content. The content added to folders can be tagged with standardmetadata, e.g., Dublin Core and IMS.

The learning system and the portal system can implement a role-basedsystem that is attached to each user. The content system preferablyhonors these roles and display interface elements in the correct contextbased on the roles.

The learning system and portal system roles can be mapped into a userlist infrastructure within the content system. These can include courseroles, portal roles, and system roles. The learning system course groupscan be mapped into “group” infrastructure within the content system.

For example, an instructor logs into the learning system, and clicksthrough to his or her course control panel. He or she then creates acourse content item that is linked to the course content selectionwithin the content system. She or he then browses to the course contentcollection. The content system has already mapped the instructor role ofthis course to the proper permissions structure for the course contentcollection, thereby granting access to the instructor to read, modify,or remove any files within the course content area.

Users of the content system can protect their documents from othersgaining access. Users can give others selective access to files orfolders in the “My Content” area. Each file and folder can have, e.g.,Read, Modify, and Delete permissions. Users can have the ability toshare each folder and file with other users or user lists. For example,consider a user who wants to share a particular file with a peer. Theuser can locate the files by browsing to the file in his or hercollection view, click on a button to display the permissions, and thenadd the user that he or she wants to give access to. For each user (oruser list), the owner can set the Read/Modify/Delete permissions.

Also, e.g., a student might want to protect a few of his or her personalfiles. The student can locate the files, click to view the permissions,then remove all users and user lists that have access to the file.Alternatively, the student simply removes permissions for all users anduser lists.

In order to reduce mistakes with setting permissions on folders, thecontent system can support inheritable permissions within a folder tree.More specifically, permissions that are setup on a folder can berecursively applied to all children of the parent folder.

The content system can allow access and linking to discrete versions offiles, e.g., the latest version of a file can be specified or some givenearlier versions, if so desired.

The content system can allow all content within a collection to beweb-accessible with a single URL, so that users can cut and paste URLlinks to share documents and reference materials that are stored withinthe collections.

The content system preferably “tags” each piece of content with metadatain order to effectively track and identify content within the system.The content system preferably implements industry-standard metadataschemes such as, e.g., those put forth by the IMS.

Institutions need to limit any abuse and misuse of content storage spacewith regards to file storage allocation. The content system accordinglycan support quotas for each individual stored collection, so that userscannot store extraordinary amount of data (e.g., a student's entire mp3archive) and share it out to the campus. Quotas can preferably beenforced from both the Web interface as well as the WebDAV interface.The content system administrator is preferably able to universally setquotas for all collections in the system. The administrator canpreferably identify a single collection and manually set the quota toany value. If desired, quotas can be applied to folders, not users.

The content system can have a mechanism to allow a system administratorto view the amount of content that is stored within the content system,and obtain more detailed views of content usage, especially as itpertains to quotas. Quota reports generated by the system can showsystem-wide quota allotment versus used space. The quota reports canallow the administrator to search for particular collections and delivera summary of quota and disk usage for the collections selected.

Users may want to be able to share certain distinct pieces of contentwith users that do not have an account within the content system. Thecontent system can support a pass-based system that safely allowsnon-network members to access content. The passes that are generated canbe sent to the destination user as a URL, and provide either time-basedor number of use-based access to the designated content item.

Content system users collaborating on a project can have the ability towork together on the same file instead of sending multiple copies backand forth to determine which changes were made to which version. Thecontent system can support basic file versioning with a history featureto view revision details. The content system can preferably support anunlimited number of revisions per content item. The revisions caninclude a “comments” meta-data attribute that can contain user specifiedcomments about the particular revision.

For effective document collaboration, the content system can allow usersto have the ability to “check out” a file to be worked on, effectivelygiving them the exclusive ability to modify that particular file. Thiskeeps others from being able to modify the file. The content system cansupport “check-in” and “check-out” of content. Upon check-out, thecontent item effectively becomes “read-only” for any other user otherthan the one that has the item checked out. Upon check-in, the contentcan automatically be committed as a new revision. Upon check-in, theuser can have an opportunity to fill in the “comments” field. Thecontent system can provide a facility for “undo-checkout,” which checksthe content item back in but does not execute a new revision.

The content system can allow each user an area to view the status of anytasks he or she needs to complete or participate in for improvedimplementation of workflow. The content system can provide a robust “MyActivities” tool, where the user can go to view all the workflow-relatedtasks he or she needs to complete. The “My Activities” area can be anaggregate view of all workflow-related tasks that the user has waitingfor him or her. The “My Activities” area can be available as a PortalModule at the Portal level for quick access and referral by the user.

The content system can allow users (instructors and students) toparticipate in a two-step workflow, that involves Party A sending anitem to Party B for review. Upon review, Party B can “return” the itemto Party A. The content system allows for a two-way exchange to occur,where the status of the task is tracked, and both initiator and reviewercan view the status of the workflow at any time. The content system canprovide a way to access workflow data from within the course, preferablyat the course content item.

The content system can allow users to expose designated “subsections” orindividual content items in a portfolio context. Building off of thepermissions and pass-based control infrastructure, the content systemcan provide a mechanism (Web-based and e-mail) that simplifies the taskof “assembling” and “publishing” the individual's portfolio. The usercan designate specific folders or items. A portfolio wizard can build awebpage that aggregates all of the selected links into a single view,with a unique name for each portfolio. Each user can preferably be ableto create an unlimited number of portfolios. Each portfolio can have aname, description, availability indicator, and offer customizationoptions to the user.

For parity between the learning system user population and the contentsystem population, users existing in a learning system such as theBlackboard Learning System preferably also exist in the content system.

Users of the learning system, the portal system, and the content systemcan have a generally seamless experience without ever having tore-authenticate. For full compatibility with other Blackboard products,the content system can generally seamlessly support all theauthentication protocols supported by the Blackboard platform. WebDAVaccess can require re-authentication and may restrict the forms ofauthentication possible. Also, content system users who haveauthenticated into the learning system should not have tore-authenticate into the content system.

In order to more easily integrate the content system with a pre-existinglearning system, a mechanism can be provided to allow existing coursecontent to be moved into the content system. A conversion tool can beprovided that allows course data to be moved from the learning systeminto the content system. This is preferably implemented using thecontent APIs, if possible

The content system can archive/restore the content stored in the system.A content exchange engine can be provided to support archive/restore of“My Content” and “Course Content” into and out of the content system.

The content system can have a search capability that includes full-textsearch of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other documents and onthe meta-data that accompanies content within the content system. Thesearch can be restricted down to an individual's collection but be aswide as the entire system. Search results can be returned in rankedorder.

As previously mentioned, institutions need to limit any abuse and misuseof content storage space with regards to file storage allocation. Byregulating the bandwidth in and out of any particular collection, theSystem Administrator can effectively throttle the amount of data thatcan be accessed within any particular collection. For each collection,the content system can preferably measure the amount of data that hasbeen uploaded/downloaded within a variable time period. (e.g., day,week, month). The time periods can be flexible enough to support a daterange in increments of day, week, or month. The content system can havebandwidth reporting capabilities for the System Administrator.

In order to provide increased extensibility, the content system canprovide APIs into metadata.

In order to minimize the impact to integration with the learning system,but still deliver a seamless, integrated environment for the learningsystem and the content system, an integration agent can be provided thatallows instructors to add content from their “My Content” or “CourseContent” areas from within the content system. Students and faculty canbe provided with areas within the course and portal environment (e.g.,Tools) to enter their “My Content” area.

A building block can be provided that contains a new Content Type with acontent address link. Launch points can be implemented as System Toolsfor (a) My Content, (b) Course Content, (c) Institution Content, and (d)My Activities. Launch points can be implemented as a Portal Tool andPortal Modules for (a) My Content Module and (b) My Activities Module.Launch points can be implemented as a Course Tool for Course Content.One or more new portal module types can be provided that access contentfrom the Content System (e.g., to include an image in the module or linkto a Content System file).

Content Catalog

In accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention, a contentcatalog is provided that allows users to easily reuse and share contentamong a broad audience. The catalog allows users to electronicallysearch the catalog or browse by category to find content items theymight wish to use.

The catalog can include user facing functionality that allows users tonominate their items for inclusion in internal and/or public catalogs.Users can use the catalog to browse, view and select items therefrom. Inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the invention, anadministrator can have control over catalog categories and availabilityon the system.

The catalog is preferably accessible from a content system menu. SystemAdministrators can control who can access the catalog, e.g., by theinstitution role of the user. For example, a school might not allowalumni users to browse the catalog.

Catalog entries can be found, e.g., by searching for a desired entryusing its name or other metadata associated with the entry or bybrowsing the categories. Category creation is described in furtherdetail below.

In accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention, a systemadministrator can specify who can submit catalog entries, e.g., byinstitution role. For instance, a school might not allow students tosubmit entries to the catalog.

A variety of items may be added to the catalog. A catalog entry can becreated for an individual file in the content system (such as, e.g., aShockwave file) or an entire folder (which might be used if a web siteis the content object). Users can access, e.g., a “Manage CatalogEntries” page from a “Modify” link on any item or folder for which theyhave manage permission. From this page, they can create a catalog entry,modify an existing entry, or remove their entry from the catalog.

A catalog entry is a wrapper containing information about a givencontent item. Users can select a category for their catalog entry andfill in basic information such as, e.g., name, authors, description,keywords and learning objectives. All of this information can be drawnfrom the metadata for the item itself (if that has been filled in), butcan be distinct from that metadata. This means that the description forthe catalog can be different from the general description used in othercontexts. Users can create and manage multiple entries for a singleitem.

In accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention, a catalogentry can be submitted to more than one category. Users can createmultiple catalog entries for an item or folder. Each catalog entry ispreferably managed separately by the user, and it can be approvedseparately by a so called catalog manager. This means that while theitem might be rejected for one catalog category, it could be acceptedfor another.

The catalog manager can be the system administrator or some other persondesignated for approving catalog entries. The system administrator cangrant catalog manager status to other users by, e.g., institution role.Anyone on the system, regardless of course or system role, can beallowed to be a catalog manager as desired. It may be beneficial forcatalog managers to be experts or otherwise knowledgeable in the subjectmatter in a field when reviewing catalog entries and creating catalogcategories. The system administrator can create a new institution rolefor this function (e.g., catalog administrator) and assign that role asa secondary role to those users who should have this right.

Catalog managers can preferably modify catalog entries from a ManageCatalog Entries page. They can change information about the itemincluding the category to display the item in.

If a user modifies an item in the catalog, the catalog entry status canbe returned to “pending.” This allows administrators to reclassify orpossibly reject this new version.

Users can access status information from their “Manage Catalog Entries”page (available from the item or folder modify page). From this pagethey can see if their item is pending, accepted or rejected.

Catalog review responsibilities can be shared. Catalog managers canfilter and sort entries to distribute review responsibilities accordingto whatever business rules are appropriate at a given school. Forexample, a school might have one catalog manager responsible forreviewing entries in the History category and another catalog managerresponsible for reviewing entries in the Science category.

Catalog managers can create a very large set of high-level categoriesand sub-categories. For usability purposes, however, top-levelcategories can be limited to 50 or less and subcategories to 20 or less.

In accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention, a publiccatalog of content objects can also be provided. Users can selectwhether to make their items available in this public catalog when theycreate catalog entries. Otherwise, catalog entries are availableinternally only.

Internal catalog entries can grant read permission to generally allsystem accounts on the item or folder associated with the entry. Publiccatalog entries can grant read permission to the public on the item orfolder associated with the entry.

If an item is moved or removed, an error can be displayed when a userclicks on the catalog entry in the catalog view. If permissions havebeen removed, the link can no longer be viewable by all system or publicusers.

FIGS. 16-22 are sample screenshots illustrating one use case example ofhow a user (in this case, a college professor) searches for and finds acontent item in the catalog and then adds the item to a set of coursematerials accessible by students taking a course. In these screenshots,pointer bubbles are used for annotation to provide further descriptionabout a particular item or action on the screen. Also, rectangularblocks are used to provide information about the scenario or backgroundinformation used to describe the process.

FIG. 16 is an example of a home page of a user (a professor namedElizabeth), which identifies in area 50 courses taught by her. Shewishes to add to her course on oceanography an introductory article onthe subject. She can then access the content system to look for such anarticle as illustrated in the exemplary screenshot of FIG. 17. As shown,she can perform a text search for catalog entries at 60 or browse bycategory at 62 (and various subcategories). FIG. 18 shows a content itemselected by the user. FIG. 19 illustrates how the content item can belinked to the course.

Link Checker

In accordance with one or more further embodiments of the invention, acheck links tool is provided to allow users to verify links to items inthe content system. Links might break for two primary reasons. First,the item in the content system may have been renamed, moved, or deletedby someone with manage permission on the item. Second, all users(students, TAs, etc.) may not have permission to view the item. (Readpermission is generally required, and is automatically added on theitem's “Manage Permissions” page when a link is created, but someone mayhave inadvertently removed this permission.)

Users who click on a broken link receive an error. Users can receive a“File Not Found” error for broken links. For missing permissions, theycan receive an “Access Denied” error.

The check links tool helps ensure that course, organization andportfolio user can access content that resides in the content system.The check links tool scans content areas and portfolio pages for brokenlinks and reports the results. The check links tool is preferablyaccessible from a control panel of all courses and organizations in thecontent system or from the portfolio manage page. The systemadministrator can enable this tool from an administrator panel. Linkscan be designated as follows:

-   -   1. Valid link: All course users will be able to view the item        when clicking on the link in the course or organization        environment or from a portfolio.    -   2. Path not found: This will occur if the item (file or folder)        in the content system has been renamed, moved, or deleted. Users        can receive a “File Not Found” error. The course or organization        builder (e.g., Instructor, TA or course builder) or portfolio        creator can either return to the content system to replace the        original file, or recreate the link in the course or portfolio        to the new name/location in the content system.    -   3. Repairable permission error: The link to the item (the path)        is valid, but read permission does not exist for all course        users or all system accounts. For example, so even though the        instructor or portfolio creator can view the item properly,        students and other system users would receive an “Access Denied”        error. The tool allows the instructor or portfolio creator to        repair the permission error by clicking a “repair” button that        can add the appropriate read permission back to the content        system item.    -   4. Un-repairable permission error: The link to the item (the        path) is valid, but read permission does not exist for all        course users or all system accounts. Additionally, the user that        ran the tool does not have manage permission for this item, so        he or she cannot repair the permission problem like in the use        case above. The user must contact someone (such as, e.g., the        system administrator) with manage permission on the item to add        the appropriate permission.

The check links tool can scan the validity of links in various areasincluding, e.g., the following:

-   -   1. Content areas (course documents, course information,        syllabus, etc.)    -   2. Staff Information    -   3. Announcements, calendar events, tasks    -   4. Learning unit shells    -   5. Discussion boards (e.g., threads that have links to images        residing in the content system)    -   6. Portfolios

The check links tool is particularly useful after copying, restoring, orimporting courses or organizations or after copying a portfolio. Thetool can be made available or unavailable in the Administrator Panel.

FIGS. 20-22 are sample screenshots illustrating one use case example ofhow a user can use a check links tool in accordance with one or moreembodiments of the invention in the control panel of a course ororganization. In these screenshots, pointer bubbles are used forannotation to provide further description about a particular item oraction on the screen. Also, rectangular blocks are used to provideinformation about the scenario or background information used todescribe the process.

FIG. 20 is a screenshot illustrating the course tools available to auser, including the check links tool shown at 70. This tool can beselected to verify links in a course to content items in the contentsystem as illustrated in the screenshot of FIG. 21. The screenshotdisplays content items and the condition of their links at 80. Thedetails buttons 82 can be selected to provide further details about thelocation of the links as illustrated in FIG. 22. The repair button 84(shown in FIG. 21) can be selected to repair repairable links.

Various content system tools and features described herein arepreferably implemented in software, and accordingly one of the preferredimplementations of the invention is as a set of instructions (programcode) in a code module resident in the random access memory of thecomputer. Until required by the computer, the set of instructions may bestored in another computer memory, e.g., in a hard disk drive, or in aremovable memory such as, e.g., an optical disk (for eventual use in aCD ROM) or floppy disk (for eventual use in a floppy disk drive), ordownloaded via the Internet or some other computer network. In addition,although the various methods described are conveniently implemented in ageneral purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured bysoftware, one of ordinary skill in the art would also recognize thatsuch methods may be carried out in hardware, in firmware, or in morespecialized apparatus constructed to provide the specifiedfunctionality.

It should be noted that the various embodiments of the invention shownand described in this application are shown by way of illustration. Aswill be realized, the invention is capable of other and differentembodiments and its several details may be capable of modifications invarious respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly,the drawings and description herein are to be regarded as illustrativein nature and not in a restrictive or limiting sense.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system for providing data files to acommunity of users having different roles, said roles including studentroles and instructor roles, said data files relating to a plurality ofcourses, at least some of said users being associated with one or moreof said courses, the system comprising: a common user interfaceconnectable to a plurality of client devices respectively operated bysaid users; and a server system connected with said client devices,through said common user interface, the server system including acontent system for creating, storing and sharing content items in acontent repository from users having a student role and users having aninstructor role, said content items in said content system beingselectable by users having a student role and users having an instructorrole for inclusion in one or more data files relating to courses withwhich said users are associated, the server system providing to saidclient devices access to data files relating to courses with which usersoperating said client devices are associated, wherein a user having astudent role is selectably configurable to have access to creating,storing, and sharing content items in a storage area of the contentrepository designated for and limited to the user having the studentrole, and independently from a user having an instructor role, whereinthe content system is configured to associate at least one of thecontent items with a plurality of courses, wherein the content system isconfigured to allow at least two of said users to edit and overwrite thesame pre-existing content item created by another user, and wherein atleast one of the storage space or bandwidth for the storage area of theuser differs based on whether the user has the student role or the userhas the instructor role, and further based on at least one course withwhich the user is associated.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein saidnetwork comprises a LAN, a WAN, a MAN, an intranet or the Internet. 3.The system of claim 1 wherein said roles further include administratorroles, and librarian roles, and wherein a user having at least one ofsaid administrator role and said librarian role is associated with aneducational institution.
 4. The system of claim 1 wherein users cansearch for desired content items in said content system using metadataassociated with said content items or using text searching.
 5. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein said content items are organized in a catalogin said content system, and wherein users can identify desired contentitems in said content system by browsing said catalog.
 6. The system ofclaim 1 wherein said content system controls which users can access saidcontent items.
 7. The system of claim 1 wherein said content systemcontrols which users can access said content items based on permissionsassociated with said content items.
 8. The system of claim 7 whereinsaid permissions include read, write, delete or manage.
 9. The system ofclaim 1 wherein said content system controls the time period saidcontent items can be accessed by said users.
 10. The system of claim 1wherein said content system provides a common structure for storage ofsaid content items.
 11. The system of claim 1 wherein the content systemcan manage file versioning.
 12. The system of claim 1 wherein thecontent system can monitor the checking in and checking out of contentitems.
 13. The system of claim 1 wherein the content system can be usedas a workflow tool.
 14. The system of claim 1 wherein the content itemscan be reused by users having an instructor role for multiple courses.15. The system of claim 1 further comprising a link checker forverifying links in data files to content items stored in the contentsystem.
 16. The system of claim 1 wherein said content item is linked tosaid one or more of said plurality of data files.
 17. The system ofclaim 1 wherein said content system has multi-language capability. 18.In a system for providing data files to a community of users havingdifferent roles, said roles including student roles and instructorroles, each user being associated with one or more of said courses, amethod of storing and sharing content items from said users having astudent role and users having an instructor role among a plurality ofsaid data files, the method comprising: identifying in a contentrepository for creating, sharing and storing content items from saidusers having a student role and users having an instructor role adesired content item to be used in one or more of said data files;associating said desired content item with said one or more of said datafiles; associating at least one of the content items with the pluralityof courses within the content repository; and making said one or moredata files accessible over a network to users associated with coursesrelating to said one or more data files, wherein a user having a studentrole is selectably configurable to have access to creating, storing, andsharing content items in a storage area of the content repositorydesignated for and limited to the user having the student role, andindependently from a user having an instructor role, wherein at leasttwo of said users are allowed to edit and overwrite the samepre-existing content item created by another user, and wherein at leastone of the storage space or bandwidth for the storage area of the userdiffers based on whether the user has the student role or the user hasthe instructor role, and further based on at least one course with whichthe user is associated.
 19. The method of claim 18 wherein said networkcomprises a LAN, a WAN, a MAN, an intranet or the Internet.
 20. Themethod of claim 18 wherein said roles further include administratorroles, and librarian roles, and wherein a user having at least one ofsaid administrator role and said librarian role is associated with aneducational institution.
 21. The method of claim 18 wherein identifyinga desired content item comprises searching for a desired content item insaid content repository using metadata associated with said contentitems or using text searching.
 22. The method of claim 18 wherein saidcontent items are organized in a catalog, and wherein identifying adesired content item comprises browsing said catalog.
 23. The method ofclaim 18 further comprising selectively controlling which users canaccess said content items.
 24. The method of claim 23 whereinselectively controlling which users can access said content items isperformed using permissions associated with said content items.
 25. Themethod of claim 24 wherein said permissions include read, write, delete,or manage.
 26. The method of claim 18 further comprising controlling thetime period said content items can be accessed by said users.
 27. Themethod of claim 18 wherein said content repository provides a commonstructure for storage of said content items.
 28. The method of claim 18further comprising managing file versioning of content items in saidcontent repository.
 29. The method of claim 18 further comprisingmonitoring the checking in and checking out of content items.
 30. Themethod of claim 18 further comprising managing workflow activitiesrelating to content items in said content repository.
 31. The method ofclaim 18 further comprising storing user files in said contentrepository.
 32. The method of claim 18 further comprising reusingcontent items stored in said content repository in multiple courses. 33.The method of claim 18 further comprising verifying links in data filesto content items stored in the content repository.
 34. The method ofclaim 18 wherein associating said desired content item with said one ormore of said data files comprises linking said desired content item withsaid one or more of said data files.
 35. A content system for use insharing content items among a plurality of data files made accessible toa community of users having different roles, said roles including usershaving a student role and users having an instructor role, said datafiles relating to a plurality of courses, at least some of said usersbeing associated with one or more of said courses, said content systemcomprising: a content repository for creating, storing and sharingcontent items from users having a student role and users having aninstructor role; a search mechanism for assisting users having a studentrole to identify a desired content item in the content repository; meansfor linking said desired content item with said one or more of said datafiles; means for associating at least one of the content items with theplurality of courses within the content repository; and means forproviding access to said one or more data files over a network to usersassociated with courses relating to said one or more data files, whereina user having a student role is selectably configurable to have accessto creating, storing, and sharing content items in a storage area of thecontent repository designated for and limited to the user having thestudent role, and independently from a user having an instructor role,wherein at least two of said users are allowed to edit and overwrite thesame pre-existing content item created by another user, and wherein atleast one of the storage space or bandwidth for the storage area of theuser differs based on whether the user has the student role or the userhas the instructor role, and further based on at least one course withwhich the user is associated.
 36. The system of claim 35 wherein saidnetwork comprises a LAN, a WAN, a MAN, an intranet or the Internet. 37.The system of claim 35 wherein said roles comprise a student role, aninstructor role, an administrator role, or a librarian role associatedwith an educational institution.
 38. The system of claim 35 whereinusers can search for desired content items in said content system usingmetadata associated with said content items or using text searching. 39.The system of claim 35 wherein said content items are organized in acatalog in said content system, and wherein users can identify desiredcontent items in said content system by browsing said catalog.
 40. Thesystem of claim 35 wherein said means for providing access restrictswhich users can access said content items.
 41. The system of claim 35wherein said means for providing access controls the time period saidcontent items can be accessed by said users.
 42. The system of claim 35wherein said content system provides a common structure for storage ofsaid content items.
 43. The system of claim 35 wherein the contentsystem can manage file versioning.
 44. The system of claim 35 whereinthe content system can monitor the checking in and checking out ofcontent items.
 45. The system of claim 35 wherein the content system canbe used as a workflow tool.
 46. The system of claim 35 wherein saidcontent system has multi-language capability.
 47. The system of claim 35further comprising a link checker for verifying links in data files tocontent items stored in the content system.